University of Tennessee Athletics
@LadyVol_Hoops Report (11/25/15)
November 25, 2015 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The #4/5-ranked Tennessee women's basketball team will play two games in three days this weekend, starting with a game against UAlbany on Friday at Noon (SECN+) and followed by a 2:30 p.m. top-10 showdown with #8/8 Texas on Sunday (ESPN).
On Wednesday, associate head coach Kyra Elzy, senior Bashaara Graves and redshirt sophomore Diamond DeShields spoke to the media at the Ray and Lucy Hand Digital Studio. Elzy stepped in for head coach Holly Warlick, whose return flight from a recruiting trip was delayed and caused her to arrive back on campus a little later than expected on Wednesday afternoon.
Black Friday Matinee Features A Rising Star
Tennessee (4-0) and UAlbany (4-0) will meet for the first time in a noon encounter Friday on the hardwood at Thompson-Boling Arena. All tickets are priced at $7 with a special Black Friday rate and can be purchased on UTTix.com.
While Big Orange fans might not be familiar with the Great Danes, Tennessee's coaching staff certainly is. UAlbany, led by sixth-year head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, is 122-42 under her direction and winner of the last four America East Conference championships. The program is picked to win the league again this year.
On March 21, 2015, #13 seed UAlbany came close to pulling off a huge upset in the NCAA Tournament, leading No. 4 seed Duke by four with 1:30 to go before falling in Cameron Indoor Stadium, 54-52. Elzy said the Great Danes are well-coached and are relentless, and the Lady Vols had better be prepared for the task at hand.
"We have a great test on Friday with Albany, Elzy said. "Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson is a great coach. Her team is scrappy. They play hard.
"A year ago, they had a great game against Duke in the NCAA Tournament. They will not back down, and they will come to this gym ready to play. We have to be ready to match their intensity."
4-0, But Not Satisfied
The Lady Vols have started the season off with four consecutive wins to run their streak of consecutive home wins to 26. However, there have been some close calls early in the season.
Tennessee notched two-point wins over both Syracuse and Chattanooga in the past week. The Lady Vols led by 19 after one quarter against Chattanooga and by 23 at one point, but they let the Mocs back into the game before eventually winning by two, 59-57.
"Everybody has to have that mentality to be dominant the whole game, not just in spurts," senior forward Bashaara Graves said.
"Holly (Warlick) demands greatness from us; she expects it for the full 40 minutes, and we should expect it from ourselves," redshirt sophomore guard Diamond DeShields said. "We did get lazy. Holly was disappointed with our effort. We are going to come into the next game with a different mentality and be ready to go for the full 40 minutes."
"We talk often about winning, setting the tone, making a statement, playing like Lady Vol basketball teams are capable of playing," associate head coach Kyra Elzy said. "Every game, every practice we want that type of intensity. Obviously, we did not sustain it. We are a work in progress, but it is still early in the season, and we will continue to get better."
One of the issues the team has had to deal with early in the season is injuries. Only six student-athletes played against Central Arkansas and others have been coming back slowly.
"We are still trying to see which combination works on the floor, who plays well together," Elzy said. "We are still getting people back. The good thing is, it's still early, and we will work through these kinks."
One of the other issues in the past three games has been the outside shooting. Tennessee connected on only five of 42 attempts from the three-point line against Penn State, Syracuse and Chattanooga.
"Ball movement and player movement are definitely things that will help us get an open shot; you always want to get a good look at the basket," DeShields said. "I compare this to something like a hitter's slump in baseball.
"Unfortunately, it's happening to all of our guards at the same time, but we'll come out of it. We have capable shooters and All-Americans on the team. We know what we are capable of. Our coaches try to keep us confident and let us know that shots will fall, and we continue to lift each other up and get in the gym to get extra shots up. Those shots will fall."
Graves Saving Her Best For Last
Bashaara Graves knows this is the last year she will be able to don the orange and white, and she wants to make the most of it.
"I think it's mostly just been my mindset," Graves said. "This is my last go-around, this is all I got. This is my last year at the University of Tennessee. I want to give my all, I want to go out there and play for my teammates and be a part of this program."
"Her mindset has changed, her sense of urgency is through the roof right now," associate head coach Kyra Elzy said. "She is playing extremely confident. Coach Holly (Warlick) came to her and told her this team needs you to step up, lead by example, play hard, play with emotion, play with passion and she has done that not only in games, but in practice."
It has really showed in the early part of this season. Bashaara Graves was named SEC Co-Player of the Week this week after making 20 of 24 (.833) shots over the first three games. She started the season with 16 straight makes from the field and has averaged career bests of 16.7 points and 11.3 rebounds.
The Clarksville, Tenn., native has recorded a double-double in three straight games to start the year and sits ninth in Tennessee history in double-doubles with 24 while being tied for first among active players in SEC double-doubles.
"I think it just starts with trying to bring that energy," Graves said. "Come in the game and play as hard as I can, just start with that and everything will come to you."
DeShields A Work In Progress
After sitting out a season, Diamond DeShields is still working her way back into game shape. The redshirt sophomore missed a lot of preseason practice while rehabbing injuries to her legs.
"It's still shin splints," DeShields said. "I feel like the game is coming to me as I play each and every minute, but I'm definitely still playing through some pain and some injuries. I feel better week-by-week, so I'm very optimistic about the future."
You can see the improvement from DeShields on a day-to-day basis. After not recording a point against Syracuse in 20 minutes, the first time in her collegiate career she had gone scoreless, she came out and scored 17 against Chattanooga.
It wasn't just DeShields' offensive play. She recorded six rebounds, four steals and two blocks to help out defensively. Against Central Arkansas, DeShields had a career-high seven assists, the most for any Lady Vol player this year, which is something she is looking to do more.
"When you have rust and you have an injury it messes with your confidence also," DeShields said. "I've been a lot more hesitant, even with the shots I have taken. I've been a lot more passive. That's fine too, adding that element and figuring out how I can contribute when I can't get to the rim and score like I usually do. It will be really helpful for me when I do get to 100 percent; I will be more of a complete player."
There are a few times when you can see the rust, when she can't quite elevate high enough to finish a layup or when she tries to thread a pass to a player who isn't quite open. However, there are starting to be many more moments where you can see her take someone off the dribble and score or sneak behind an opponent for a steal.
"Diamond has a chance to really be great; her talent is really exceptional," Elzy said. "She has a very high basketball IQ. She is still trying to get her feet wet. she hasn't played in over a year. She is getting used to her teammates and trying to adjust to Holly's (Warlick's) system.
"It's been a lot for her, but I thought in the last game she really started to play more confident offensively and trusting her legs that she could go. The sky is the limit for her, and we look forward to seeing what she can do in the future."
